11-3 Richard Wright

 Richard had a very disturbing life growing up. His father abandoned the family and left him to be raised by his grandmother and mother in a harsh and unfair environment. He had a very limited education due to the black community and environment he was raised in during the 1920’s. He graduated from high school as valedictorian an already had a story published in high school before graduation. Still he had no recognition for any of his talents because of the segregated society, like many other blacks in his society at that time. He moved up north to Tennessee and then further up north to Chicago. He had many different small jobs trying to stay afloat during the depression. He became involved in the National Negro Theatre and other projects. Over all Richard had many struggles in his life starting in his early childhood into adulthood.

           

The story “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” was a very good story about a boy named Dave that wanted a gun. I believe he related being a man to having a gun. Dave went to the store to get the Sears Roebuck catalog to find a gun to order. Dave’s mom didn’t want him to have a gun. He sweet talked his mother after supper about how Joe had a gun he would sell to Dave for two dollars. His mom gave him the money and told him to get back home with the gun she wanted it for her husband. Dave played around in the fields acting like he was shooting it. It was late when he returned home he waited till his mom was in the bed. He woke up the next morning with the gun under his pillow. He took some flannel and tied the gun around his thigh and went to work helping in the fields. Jim Hawkins wanted to know why he was there so early. He had left before his mom could get up. He didn’t want to hand over the gun. He took jenny to the fields to plow and while he was playing around he shot the gun and it hit Jenny. He saw her bleeding while she was jumping around. Dave tried to put dirt in the hole and stop the bleeding but there wasn’t nothing could be done. Several people heard the shot and came to see what was going on. As Dave was questioned the crowd had gathered and as Dave told his story they laughed. Mr. Hawkins told Dave he would have to work and pay for the dead mule. Dave went home went to bed and when everyone was asleep he got up and went to find the gun he told everybody he had threw in the creek. He found the gun and shot it several times. He felt like a man on his way home he hears a train. He gets on the train and runs away from his problems. Really he never became a man but a coward for not staying to face the punishment.